“Care, listen, and support”: We celebrate International Nurses Day
International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12th
In this article we shine some light on this day, its history, and the vital role nurses play in global healthcare today.
We also bring a spotlight on nursing with a testimony from a home-care nurse, Elise Delaplace.
What is International Nurses Day and why is it celebrated on May 12th?
International Nurses Day is a global observance held every year on May 12 to recognize the essential role nurses play in healthcare systems worldwide.
The date commemorates the birth of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, and highlights nurses’ contributions to patient care, prevention, and public health. (1)(3)
International Nurses Day is both a historical commemoration and a call to recognize nurses as the backbone of healthcare systems.
Why is Florence Nightingale central to International Nurses Day?
Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing due to her pioneering work during the Crimean War and her role in establishing formal nursing education based on scientific principles. Her reforms drastically reduced mortality and transformed nursing into a respected profession. (1)
What did Florence Nightingale change in healthcare?
- Introduced strict hygiene standards
- Improved hospital ventilation and organization
- Reduced infection‑related mortality during the Crimean War
- Founded the Nightingale School of Nursing in London in 1860 (1)
How is her legacy honored today?
- International Nurses Day is celebrated globally on her birthday
- In the UK, an annual ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey
- Many countries integrate the day into National Nurses Week (1)
What role do nurses play in healthcare systems today?
Nurses are essential healthcare professionals who accompany patients throughout their entire care journey, from admission to recovery or end‑of‑life care. They combine clinical expertise with emotional support, ensuring care continuity, patient safety, and advocacy in all healthcare settings. (3)
How do nurses impact care quality and patient well‑being?
- Administer treatments and medications
- Monitor vital signs and clinical evolution
- Coordinate care with physicians and health teams
- Provide emotional reassurance and patient advocacy (3)
What does the data show about nurses’ presence in care?
- Nurses represent 59% of the global healthcare workforce
- In intensive care units, patients spend 86-88% of their time with nurses
- Nursing is the largest occupational group in healthcare worldwide (3)(4)
Healthcare quality and patient outcomes are inseparable from nurses’ continuous presence and expertise.
Why are empathy and human skills as important as technical expertise?
Beyond clinical competencies, nurses rely heavily on empathy, listening skills, and compassion to support patients and families during vulnerable moments. These human qualities build trust, reduce anxiety, and contribute to holistic, people‑centred care. (3)
The World Health Organization emphasizes that combining clinical excellence and relational care is essential to achieving universal health coverage and improving population health outcomes. (4)(5)
A spotlight on nursing: Testimony from a home care nurse, Elise Delaplace
About Elise Delaplace: Elise Delaplace is a home care nurse with 19 years of professional experience, including pediatric oncology, hematology, and independent home practice.
Q) How does Elise define her profession?
A) Elise defines nursing through three essential actions:
“Care, listen, and support.”
Her professional pride lies in maintaining high standards of care despite heavy workloads and mental strain:
“My greatest professional pride is being able to continue providing high‑quality care with professionalism, empathy, listening, and support, despite a heavy workload and a significant mental burden.”
She emphasizes that, even after many years of practice, the human dimension of care remains central:
“I still strive every day to give the very best of myself to the people I care for.”
She also speaks openly about the reality of burnout within the profession and her own personal experience:
“Yes, I experienced burnout many times. I even experienced one a few years ago. I had not managed to find a balance between my professional life and my personal life.”
Q) Why choose home care nursing?
A) For Elise, home care nursing allows her to practice the profession as she truly envisions it:
“I decided to work independently because I needed and wanted to take care of patients the way I had always imagined, with the time I wanted for each person.”
She contrasts home care with institutional settings, where time and staffing constraints often limit relational care:
“In healthcare facilities, the lack of time, staff shortages, pressure from hierarchy, and rigid frameworks can make caregivers work like robots, focusing on tasks and forgetting the person behind the care.”
Working at patients’ homes restores, in her view, the essence of nursing:
“At home, we have more flexibility, and we can truly take care of the human being.”
Elise’s testimony highlights nursing as both a technical profession and a deeply human vocation, where listening, presence, and individualized care are as essential as clinical expertise.
Support for nurses – the backbone of our healthcare systems
Celebrating International Nurses Day is essential, not symbolic as we recognize that nurses are the backbone of healthcare systems, ensuring continuity of care, patient safety, and humanity under increasing pressure.
Respecting, recognizing, and supporting nurses is an investment in healthcare quality, equity, and the future of our societies, every day, not only on May 12.
Bibliography
(1) Rogers, K. (2026). International Nurses Day. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com
(2) National Nurses Association. (n.d.). National Nurses Week and the role of nurses.
https://www.nursingworld.org
(3) International Council of Nurses. (2021). International Nurses Day: Honouring nurses worldwide.
https://www.icn.ch
(4) World Health Organization. (2020). State of the world’s nursing 2020: Investing in education, jobs and leadership. WHO.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003279
(5) World Health Organization. (2020). Support nurses and midwives: World Health Day materials. WHO.
https://www.who.int
(6) Healthcare Workforce Insights. (n.d.). How many steps does a nurse take in a shift? Unveiling the truth behind healthcare’s footwork.
https://www.healthcareworkforceinsights.com